


I'll Play God

by cannibalecter



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But nobody realizes it, Cult, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, Gore, Hannigram - Freeform, M/M, Murder Husbands, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Violence, Work In Progress, also masochism, cult sanctioned cannibalism, definitely sadism though, does hannibal eat will? maybe, hannibal is a cult leader, maybe a little bit, think jonestown, this definitely isnt me confronting my religious trauma haha, this is definitely a gay cult, who knows don't ask me, will is a devoted follower
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-13 01:27:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28770069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cannibalecter/pseuds/cannibalecter
Summary: Dr. Hannibal Lecter is a former psychiatrist that worked specifically with patients recovering from abuse. Through them, he learned about the prevalence of religious emotional abuse within cults, and became fascinated with the power demonstrated by cult leaders. After a less-than-ideal resignation from his psychiatric practice, Dr. Lecter turned his attention to truly understanding how cults function and what causes them to fall apart. He published a series of pamphlets and brochures to try and draw the general public in to be under his control. When it works, Dr. Lecter finds a confidant and companion in a man struggling to understand his place in the world, a man devoted to him and his teachings and who he quickly becomes obsessed with. But Agent Jack Crawford is determined to take down the cult at whatever cost.
Relationships: Alana Bloom/Margot Verger, Jimmy Price/Brian Zeller, Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	I'll Play God

**Author's Note:**

> hello I haven't written a fic since I was 15 and I am almost 21 now but goddammit Hannibal has taken over my life so here you go

Hannibal Lecter looked at himself in the full-length mirror and smoothed his lapel. Not a hair was out of place, not a wrinkle to be seen. He was freshly shaven and he smelled like lavender and honey, with an almost spicy undertone. If he was going to be a prophetic visionary, he needed to look the part. He heard a low murmur of people from the room just outside. Ah, so his pamphlets and brochures  _ had _ worked. Looking himself over one final time, he took a deep breath and put his hand on the door handle. The metal was cool to the touch. Then, with his head held high, Hannibal stepped out into the well lit church. He strode through the crowd confidently and stood in front of the altar with his hands held out to his sides, mimicking the stained glass imagery behind him. There were maybe forty people, all there just for  _ him. He waited until all casual talking had ceased and all eyes were on him, then smiled serenely. _

__

"Hello, thank you all so much for coming," Hannibal said. He kept his voice smooth and slowly lowered his arms as he spoke. "I am so incredibly blessed to have you all join me. I was not expecting such a marvelous turnout. My name is Dr. Hannibal Lecter. My pamphlets had a variety of information in them. May I ask what specifically brought you here tonight?"

__

An older woman with styled blond hair raised her hand. "I was intrigued by your claims to have a higher understanding of the universe." Her voice was silky and deeper than Hannibal expected. He nodded solemnly.

__

"I hope I will be able to share my understanding with you all. Anyone else?"

__

"We wanted a safe place." A woman with brown curls and striking grey eyes spoke up next. Beside her was another woman with darker hair and a piercing gaze. Hannibal noticed they were clasping hands. He stepped down from the chancel and grabbed their joined hands in both of his own, leaning forward ever so slightly. He wanted them to feel comfortable with him- how else would he begin to earn their ultimate trust? 

__

"And you shall find that safe place here," he said gently. He straightened up and looked around at the rest of the group. "If anyone here is uncomfortable with sharing a safe place with them, I ask that you leave now. I will not ask again." One man with a shock of white hair and a bruised jaw turned around quickly and hurried out of the church, followed by a woman with cascading red curls. Once the heavy oak door shut behind him, everyone else looked more at ease. 

__

"What do you want from us, rather than what we want from you?" A man's voice rang out from the back of the church. Hannibal hadn't noticed him- not sure how. Maybe this man had slipped in when he was listening to the others. He stood and Hannibal was able to fully look at him. A beam of light shone down on him like a beacon from the heavens themselves. Messy brown curls, a five o'clock shadow that had long overstayed its welcome. His clothes, a flannel shirt with a green jacket and simple jeans, appeared clean but were wrinkled. Hannibal could only think to describe him as scruffy, with His blue eyes reflected the light perfectly, and were not focused on Hannibal- rather, on that towering stained glass window behind him. The man walked towards the rest of the group, then stopped a few feet back. Everyone turned to look at him, but he still wouldn't meet anyone's gaze. 

__

Hannibal smiled at him and walked forward. The crowd parted and he felt like Moses parting the Red Sea. "All I want is for you to listen to me. Hear what I have to say, then decide for yourself if you want to stay."

__

The man looked up at him with an incredulous look. “Stay? For what? The pamphlet only mentioned a speaking event.”

__

“Yes, of course. That’s all this is. But if you like what I have to say, I do have further plans. I won’t reveal those plans until I see if I have enough interest, however I will explain some of the truth as I know it,” Hannibal kept the smile on his face. 

__

“Right.” The man offered a tight-lipped smile and looked away again. Not significantly, but just enough so it was noticeable that he was not making eye contact. It didn’t seem to be a power play, though. Some men would look away and make a grand gesture of it, purposely refusing Hannibal their attention. But this man… no, it was almost a necessity for him, not just a habit.

__

“Would everyone prefer to ask me individual questions I can answer, or rather me just talk and explain my knowledge and understanding with follow-up questions after?” Hannibal asked, stepping back up in front of the altar. His audience spoke amongst themselves for a moment, and he gathered that they’d prefer if he just spoke. He took a deep, centering breath, and began the speech that he had been practicing and perfecting for months.

__

“I was not born of this plane of existence, exactly. While my body may have always been here, my consciousness, my spirit has not always been here, and it does not belong here. When you all came into this room, I could sense that many of your souls function in the same way that mine does. You are likely unaware of this- I was unaware myself until fairly recently. I was doing my meditation, a key part of my morning routine that keeps me centered and grounded. Suddenly I felt as though my spirit were floating. I looked down and saw my body below me, shrinking as I flew higher and higher above.” Here, Hannibal took a pause and looked around at his listeners. They were fixated on him with awe, even that scruffy man was staring up at him, hanging on every word. 

__

“Eventually, my spirit came to a rest. When it did, I did not know where I was. Ethereal beings floated in the distance, barely comprehensible to me. The sky was a strange purplish hue, which solidified into a deep blue surface below me. Not quite the separation of Earth and sky that we have here, but more like a gentle flow from solid to just a vast expanse. Then a being appeared in front of me and I heard a voice. Not like how you’re hearing me, but a whisper in my head. The voice said, ‘You are meant for more. Search for others like you, I will reveal the truth to you as you build your army of those made to ascend.’ Then a sensation almost like being wrapped in a mother’s embrace, and everything went black. When I awoke, I was lying on my floor with a paper clenched tightly in my hand.” At this moment, Hannibal paused again. He reached his hand into his vest pocket and procured a piece of paper. He had created this document specifically for this purpose- the writing was clear enough to be readable, but messy enough to look as though it had been written by someone in a trance, the paper itself was ever so slightly crumpled to look as though it had been tightly grasped. It took hours of pondering to finally come up with the perfect content. After all, this paper would be a defining part of this group he was forming. 

__

“What does it say?” a man called out excitedly. His hair was black and curly, his face round and framed with a dark trimmed beard. Hannibal glanced up with a raised eyebrow, glaring at him with a look that usually caused many to take a step back or at least reconsider their actions, but the man’s expression did not change. His behavior was something to keep in mind. 

__

He unfolded the paper and read it aloud. “You are far from alone. There are others like you. You have been chosen to impart the truth upon others. The truth shall come.” The mention of there being ‘others’ caused the group to look around at one another. Some looked self-assured, including the blond woman who had spoken earlier. Some looked concerned, like the darker haired woman of that pair. But that man in plaid… he just looked at Hannibal like he was preaching the word of God to mortals for the first time. However, the people’s reactions were proof that his plan was already successfully in motion. Clearly that blond woman thought of herself as superior to others, she would be easy to build up and keep on his side. The man in plaid would be easy to keep as well, especially since he was clearly so enraptured by the tale Hannibal spun. 

__

“What is the truth, then?” the curly-haired man asked.

__

“Like I said, I can only share a small portion of the truth with you all at this moment. But this is arguably the most important thing you can know. Do you recall when I mentioned an army of those made to ascend?” Hannibal asked, looking around. There was a general positive response, so he continued. “The Ascension is a day that is coming where we will no longer need our physical forms. Our spirits will move beyond this life, to the plane I spoke of earlier. The exact date of the Ascension has not yet been revealed to me, however, I do know some of the practices I will need to engage in prior to its coming. Of course, if any of you decide to join me, you will also participate in these activities.”

__

“Why can’t you tell us any more?” someone in the crowd yelled out. Hannibal couldn’t pinpoint who it was, but the voice was high pitched and cracked as it spoke.

__

“Because if I tell you more, how am I to know that you won’t take my truths and pass them on to others as your own experiences in an attempt to manipulate others and gain status and power? If I share all I know, there is a chance someone here would lie for their own sake, thereby discrediting the truth and making it so that no one will actually listen to me?” Hannibal retorted. The crowd all generally muttered an acknowledgment of this, and he resisted the urge to laugh. These people were so gullible, all it took was one person with an agenda, a confident voice, and a fitted suit to get them to buy into absolute nonsense. “Now, you are all free to go. If there is anyone here who wants to know more, we will reconvene here exactly one week from today, all at the same time. I’d like you all to introduce yourselves to me before you leave though.”

__

The crowd dispersed, some people sticking behind to talk to Hannibal but most chatted comfortably as they headed out of the church. Hannibal shook hands, smiled, memorized faces and names. Garret, Tobias, James, Brian, Matthew, Alana, Margot, Bedelia. The only people he really cared to remember are the people who spoke up, those final three women. The scruffy man waited until everyone else had left, thumbing through the pages of a Bible. Hannibal was approaching him when suddenly-

__

“Hi, Dr. Lecter. My name is Franklyn.” A round, bearded face blocked Hannibal’s view, far too close for comfort. It was the man that hadn’t reacted to his stare earlier. Something about this man just made Hannibal uncomfortable, which was not an easy thing to accomplish. He just had such an overwhelmingly underwhelming presence, he was nothing special in such a unique way. It was like a paper man had come to life and dragged itself to the meeting.

__

“Yes, Franklyn. Hello. I’m glad you could come. I hope to see you next week.” Hannibal was lying through his teeth, not shifting his gaze from the man in plaid. Franklyn was droning on about something and Hannibal only wished he cared enough to pay attention. “Yes well, we can talk another time. I don’t want to leave anyone waiting to introduce themselves to me,” he interrupted, gesturing to the man. 

__

Franklyn glanced over. “Oh. Right, yeah. Well. See you next week, Dr. Lecter!” he grinned, walking almost jauntily through the church doors. Then they were alone.

__

“When did you come in?” Hannibal asked after a moment’s silence. 

__

The man looked up, briefly making that eye contact that Hannibal had been lacking. “Some woman was talking and you were focused on her. I was late and didn’t want to make a scene by coming all the way up here, but couldn’t stop myself from questioning you.”

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Hannibal laughed. “I don’t mind being questioned. What’s your name?”

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“Will. Graham. I used to be a cop, now I’m just aimless. I sometimes fix boat motors, but don’t get a lot of work doing that,” the man said.

__

“Will.” Hannibal tasted the name on his tongue. “Well, Will, although my name was on the pamphlet, I find it much more polite to properly introduce myself. My name is Dr. Hannibal Lecter.” He presented his hand with a flourish. Will closed the Bible and shook his hand.

__

“Dr. Lecter, this place that you talked about. You really went there? This all really happened?” Will asked. His voice was incredulous, yet with the slightest note of hope. Hannibal didn’t even hesitate.

__

“Of course, Will. I’ll always tell you the truth, in my own way,” he said, holding onto Will’s hand just a second longer than he might with anyone else. “I’m glad you could make it to this session. Will I be seeing you back again next week?”

__

Will returned the Bible to its spot in the pew and stood up. “You absolutely will, Dr. Lecter. I can’t wait to hear more.” Will raised his hand in an awkward wave goodbye and left the church. Hannibal let out a deep sigh. That had gone so much better than he could’ve hoped. People had been courteous and receptive to courtesy, they listened to him, they were impressed by him. That Bedelia woman seemed like she would be a valuable asset, and that Will… well, he was most assuredly something to look forward to.

__


End file.
